The Wild Webs We Weave
by SheyConYamo
Summary: "Real life's a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations, we all make mistakes. Which means, hey- glass half full! We all have a lot in common! And the more we try to understand one other, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try..." Officer Hopps never knew how true those words would prove to be.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Zootopia, nor am I in any way affiliated with it's creators. All belongs to Disney.**

 **I only claim the storyline and OC's.**

 **Author's note below:**

 **This story will start slow, and likely move slow as well. M rating is for language and adult themes that will appear in later chapters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1~***

It was strange. It was as if a heaviness had been lifted from his shoulders. But nothing had changed.

Well, there was one thing.

Leodore Lionheart took a deep breath as he stood right outside his front doorway. He opened his eyes, examining the wood of the door as if he'd never seen it before. Obviously, he was familiar with his own home, but after three months staring at concrete and bars, it was like seeing it for the first time. He smiled lightly to himself and reached into his pocket, pulling out his keys. He halfway expected he wouldn't remember which key was his house key, but he found it without issue.

He opened the door, his eyes jumping to several parts of the front hall. He couldn't help a quirk of his lips, noticing that nothing appeared to have been moved and there was a fine layer of dust on the hall table. He quickly shut and locked the door behind him. He took another deep breath, the musty smell annoying but welcome all the same. His house still smelled like home, and he was ever-so-happy for it. He meandered through, looking into the front room, again seeing nothing disturbed. He walked on through, taking his blazer off as he did so and tossing it onto the couch. He made his way to the kitchen, looking around at everything as he started to remember random bits and pieces of the way he'd left the place before his arrest. He looked to the counter and saw a truly huge pile of mail. He chuckled lightly, happy to know his request was being upheld, though he was in no hurry to dig into the heap. He glanced to the window and noticed a small vine plant on the counter just under it. It was still a vibrant green but the leaves were drooping badly. Apparently, his house's secret keeper had replaced the old plant, but was failing to water the new one.

Leodore shook his head, a small smile still present as he headed to the cabinets, pulling out a glass. He turned on the tap, waiting as it sputtered to life before setting the glass under the running water. He didn't have to wait long, and promptly poured the fresh water into the waiting greenery. He raised a brow in amusement as he saw the water soak right in. He then took yet another deep breath of the musty but homey air.

He sat the glass in the sink and dug into his pockets. He deposited his still dead phone, wallet and keys onto the counter before walking around it to head to the couch. He flopped backwards onto it, letting himself sink into the soft cushions as he sighed and closed his eyes. "I've missed this," he whispered, relishing the moment of finally just being home.

He stayed that way for a good while, listening to the sound of blessed silence, barely broken every now and then by the muffled noise of a car passing by on the street out front. Hardly loud enough to even warrant notice, let alone cause disturbance.

His ears twitched at the noise of muffled thud. _That_ was worth noting.

Just before he had the chance to react to what sounded like the doorknob of the front door being rattled, the doorbell sounded, followed by two quick rasps on the wood.

He sighed. "Should've known."

Leodore leaned up and stood, trekking back through the front room to the hall. "I swear of it's a reporter, I think I'm gonna end up back in jail," he muttered under his breath. He didn't even bother looking through the peep-hole as he unlocked the door and swung it open. "With all do respect, I just got back, so I would appreciate it if-"

He stopped short as dark gray fur, curled horns and deep brown eyes came into view.

Leodore didn't even have time to prepare himself for the grin that exploded onto his face. "Bogo!" He lurched forward without thought, arms flinging around the large cape buffalo without reserve. His grin somehow grew bigger as he heard and felt a deep chuckle, the other returning his hug just as freely.

"You seem to be in an exceptional mood," Bogo commented, patting his back.

Leodore moved back, paws resting on Bogo's broad shoulders. "You have no idea," he said happily. "Come in, come in," he said, stepping back to wave the buffalo in.

Bogo chuckled once more as he stepped through, his rare but warm smile just as welcome as the dusty counter-tops. "You settled back in yet?" he asked. "I tried to make it easy for you," he mentioned.

Leodore snickered as he shut and locked the door back. "I actually just got here not long ago, it took longer than expected for them to discharge me," he said, walking back through the hall, waving for Bogo to follow him. "I do see that you kept everything neat and tidy, including my mail hoard here," he said, gesturing to the pile.

Bogo scoffed lightly. "Yeah, I gave up trying to keep _that_ organized. I get to do enough paperwork back at the station."

Leodore shook head, his lips quirked. "I'm not gonna comment on that one. I'm surprised it got so dusty though," he said as he went to the fridge. He opened it up to see it mostly empty, though what he had hoped for was in fact there. "Ah, good to see the beer didn't expire," he said with a smirk to his long-time friend.

Bogo leaned against the counter with a raised brow. "Yeah, I had no choice with most everything in there, though your pantry is still well stocked." He then ran a claw over the countertop. "Sorry about the dust actually. I usually do a quick once-over while I'm here, but it's been busy this last two weeks so I hadn't gotten a chance."

Leodore shook his head, raising a paw. "Not even a problem." He grabbed out two bottles, closing the fridge before heading back to the counter. "If all I have to worry about is dust and restocking the fridge, I'm golden," he said with a grin, holding one bottle out. "Besides, you didn't have to look after the place for me."

Bogo took the bottle and let out a huff, smiling lightly. "Course I did," he said nonchalantly, popping the lid off with ease. "You looked over the rest of the house yet?" he asked, standing from the counter and taking a quick swig.

Leodore shook his head. "Nah, not yet. I've just been enjoying the part where I'm actually at home finally." He cracked his own beer open and took a sip rather than a chug. He let out a pleased hum as the flavor washed through his mouth. He shook his head before looking to see Bogo watching him with utter amusement. "Shut it. You have no idea how much I've wanted something other than water, muddy coffee and just bad tea," he said, though he had to fight back a smile of his own.

Bogo tilted his head with a shrug before holding his bottle out. "To being back home, then."

Leodore held his bottle out. "To being a free mammal again," he said, his voice a pitch lower than before.

The tapped their bottles together then took another drink in tandem. Bogo then took a deep breath before shrugging once more. "Well, that is until the fourteenth." He looked to Leodore with a mischievous smirk.

Leodore groaned, his good mood taking a hit at those words. "Eeeuuph, don't remind me," he said, rounding the counter and heading back to the couch, Bogo close behind.

"What? Not excited to get back to work?" Bogo asked playfully, sitting across from him on the loveseat.

"Eeehh… it's not that," he answered, leaning forward and putting his bottle on the coffee table. He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face with his paws. "Well, I suppose it's kind of that, but I do have ten days to prepare for that part."

"Eh, you'll swing right back into it," Bogo assured. "It's like riding a bike. Or, for you, it's like fluffing up that mane."

Leodore removed his paws to shoot the buffalo a look. Bogo merely smirked. He then heaved a sigh. "No, that's not what I mean…" he said, his voice low as his gaze dropped to the floor.

Bogo leaned forward as well, concerned eyes examining his face. "What is it, Leo?"

He clasped his paws in front of him as he looked at the grain of the wood in the coffee table. "It's a blessing that their re-instating me. But… I don't know…" His eyes dropped the floor and he bit his tongue inside closed lips. He shook his head slowly. "I don't know that I deserve it." He heard Bogo straighten up almost instantly. He could practically feel the eyes focused on his face, examining it with that practiced precision that he was so known for. He then heard shifting and the sound of cloth moving. Leodore looked up and saw Bogo reaching into his inside jacket pocket. When he pulled out his glasses, Leodore couldn't help but smirk.

Bogo flicked the ear pieces out and placed them accordingly, looking through the lenses at his old friend. "Good."

Leodore raised his eyebrows. "Eh?"

"Just making sure you were still Leodore T. Lionheart," Bogo said.

Leodore blinked. "Eh?" he repeated, one brow raised high as he eyed Bogo carefully.

Bogo finally smirked. "For a second it sounded like you were giving me quitter talk. And we both know you don't quit."

He sighed as his expression fell along with his head. "I don't know…"

"Yeah you do," Bogo said, leaning back and crossing his legs. "And so do I. You'll do fine," he assured, taking a drink of his beer.

Leodore shook his head. "You don't understand." He sat up only to lean back into the couch cushions. "And _you_ should understand better than anyone."

"Oh, I know."

Leodore's eyes shot to the buffalo.

Bogo's gaze was down, intently focused on his bottle as he swirled the liquid inside. He looked up, meeting Leodore's gaze without so much as a blink, his expression solemn and steady. He heaved a sigh of his own, letting the air out slowly before finally taking his eyes away. "We fucked up."

Leodore felt his expression mar in surprise but it was quickly replaced with confusion. "We?"

"We." Bogo met his gaze again. "It wasn't just you who made mistakes, did things you shouldn't have done." His eyes drifted down again. "Acted like you shouldn't have acted."

Leodore leaned forward slowly, retaking his former position. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You falsely imprisoned mammals, withheld vital information to said missing mammal cases, and low-key conducted your own illegal operation." Bogo's eyes drifted upward again. "And you chose not to trust me."

Leodore swallowed a sudden lump in his throat.

Bogo held his gaze intently. "But I'm just as guilty."

Leodore's brows furrowed as he shook his head. "That makes no sen-"

"I was furious." Bogo cut him off.

Leodore's eyes went wide. "You…" his voice died almost instantly. He was afraid to say more.

"Not just about that," Bogo said, reading his mind. He lowered his head, running his claws under his glasses and into his eyes. "I was absolutely incensed that you had the gall to assign me a rabbit."

Leodore straightened. "What?"

"You heard me," Bogo responded. "You didn't say anything, didn't ask my opinion, didn't allow a discussion. You just blatantly chose to throw me a wild card when I had enough on my plate, as I usually do." He huffed, leaning further into the couch cushions. "I treated her like a bumbling idiot. Like a burden. Like a problem. You realize I assigned her to parking duty, right?" He asked, glancing up.

Leodore's mouth fell open. "You what?"

Bogo managed a small smile. "Yeah. Day one. Didn't even give her a chance." He looked away and shrugged. "Then… Mrs. Otterton forced her way into my office and changed everything." He leaned his head back and tapped his beer bottle. "I didn't even give her a chance _then_. In fact, I made it as hard as I possibly could. I wanted _soo_ badly for her to just give up and leave."

Leodore blinked dumbly. "You're kidding?"

Bogo chuckled cynically. "No. But I wish I was." He leaned back up and placed his beer on the coffee table, mirroring Leodore's previous posture. "Judy Hopps is one of the brightest individuals I think I have ever had the honor of having on my team." He paused, his gaze growing distant. "And it took her fighting the system, her coworkers, and even me," he glanced back up, "and catching you red-handed... for me to see that."

Leodore was dumbstruck. "I… I…" He shook his head as he looked at Bogo as if he'd just stepped off a flying saucer. "I don't even know what to say…"

Bogo cracked a one-sided smile. "Yeah. Now you know how I felt when we caught you. It's just lucky that Hopps was so intent on doing her job. I could barely think, let alone be expected to read you your rights."

Leodore closed his lips tightly at that, his gaze drifting once more. "Yeah. I never thought in a million years I'd… be in that position." He remembered that day as if it had happened only yesterday. He'd been cuffed by the rhino, but Bogo had almost angrily shoved his underlying aside to grab his shoulder like a vise. Though, it hadn't been his grip that had done him in. It had been the look in his eyes. He'd almost been too dizzy to walk because the surrealism of the moment had made his head swim so badly. And the burning in his throat that had kept him from saying anything truly stupid… that had been nearly as painful as the ache in his chest. Only the panic that had suddenly rushed his mind once he'd been led through the doorway had made him blurt out what he had to officer Hopps. And by then, it was already much too late regardless of the situation.

Leodore leaned back down, resting his chin in his clasped hands, his thumbs digging into his jaw. "It… as bad as this'll sound… it isn't even those events that I had a direct part in that are making me think… well, whatever, I'm thinking." He rolled his eyes.

"If it isn't any of that, then what is it?" Bogo asked in confusion.

Leodore stared at the far wall, though his eyes weren't focused on the mantle of the large fireplace. "Imani… think about how you treated Miss Hopps."

Bogo blinked in surprise at the sudden use of his first name, but raised a brow as he looked at Leodore with wide eyes. "Yes?"

Leodore was quiet for a few moments as thoughts from the past three months started to crowd into his head again. "Why did that happen?" he asked. "Why did you treat her that way? Why did everyone put her down and act like she couldn't do what she'd been trained to do?"

Bogo's gaze faltered and he lowered it to the floor. "I… I don't…" He closed his lips tightly and took a deep breath, taking his glasses from his muzzle and plopping them on the table. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't have an excuse."

Leodore scoffed. "Breaking Leon's rule, are we?"

"No, no," Bogo said, humor returning briefly to his expression as he wagged a finger at Leodore. "I admitted I had no excuse."

"Yeah, but you still used the cursed phrase," Leodore said, glancing to Bogo out of the corner of his eye. "But that's okay. Because I've been thinking about that very issue." He looked back to the wall. "I've had nothing but time to think. So… that's what I've been doing."

Bogo regarded Leodore closely. "And what have you gotten for all that thinking?" he asked.

Leodore was quiet as he tried to find the right words to articulate the mess in his head. "That society… is a poison. And if we don't stay vigilant… we can become poisonous too."

Bogo face fell at those words. He looked away, his gaze following Leodore's to the wall. He closed his lips as the scowl he was so known for worked it's way back onto his face. "That's what you're here for. No one tries harder than you."

"That's a lie."

Bogo's face darted back and he looked at Leodore in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Leodore closed his eyes. And once more, as it had many times in the last months, a visage appeared in his mind: bright green eyes ringed by huge rims and fluffy wool bouncing around a tiny smile. "I let myself be poisonous too."

Bogo shook his head, sitting up. "You may have chosen the wrong approach, Leo, but you didn't-"

"That's not what I mean," Leodore said, cutting him off. He opened his eyes, pinning Bogo down with an intense gaze. "I mean Bellwether."

Bogo raised an eyebrow almost comically high. "Excuse me?" He sat up straighter and tilted his head, as if his expression alone hadn't been enough. "You can't tell me you had _anything_ to do with that sheep's bloodlust."

Leodore took his eyes away. "Of course I did."

Bogo shook his head. "How?" he asked incredulously.

"Bogo, I treated her no different than you've admitted to treating Miss Hopps." He blinked. "No… I treated her worse, honestly." He lowered his paws from his jaw and let his head sink as he leaned heavily on his forearms. "I offloaded so much onto her shoulders. Expected her to do it as if she were three people. I ignored the obvious signs of mental exhaustion, didn't even treat her with honest respect. I mean, yeah, I was nice every now and then, especially when she _somehow_ managed to do everything I made her do, but I never even allotted for her a proper office, I didn't actually make up official documentation for her 'title'. I basically treated her like a- a glorified _secretary_ with barely enough decency to buy her a coffee every now and then for all the work she did for me!" Leodore blundered, sitting up and throwing his paws in the air. "Goodness, I even called her _names_ , Imani! Since when have I ever stooped to doing that? Ever?" he questioned, looking to Bogo in disbelief.

Bogo raised a brow. "You called her names?" he asked.

Leodore huffed and shook his head, his shoulders drooping. "Yeah." He looked back to his beer on the table. "Fu- I don't even remember the first few, I just ended up with Sm-…" he paused, shaking his head and grabbing the beer quickly. "… Smellwether," he muttered before closing his mouth off with the bottle.

Bogo's mouth fell open. "Did… did you just say Smellwether?" he asked incredulously.

Leodore rolled his eyes. "Say it a little louder, Bogo, I don't think the neighbors heard you," he grumbled, taking another long swig.

Bogo leaned onto the arm of the loveseat and looked at Leodore like he'd grown flowers out of his ears. "You seriously degraded yourself and her by calling her such a stupid name?"

Leodore tightened his lips and closed his eyes, resting the beer bottle on his knee. He really didn't want to say it. But he was being honest, after all. He blew air out of his lips and let his head hang again. "Yeah," he answered.

Bogo shook his head, running his paw up his muzzle and rubbing his eyes. "Well, now, that _is_ a crime. I've got a spare set of cuffs. I'll skip the formalities and just haul you back to the station."

Leodore opened his eyes to glare at the wall. "Really, Bogo? I'm being serious."

"So am I," Bogo said. He looked back over with a smile on his face, however. "You really did it this time."

Leodore stared at him, unamused.

Bogo shook his head, smile ever-present as he grabbed his own bottle. "Leo, you realize that you were probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time, right?" he said, finally looking at him earnestly. "It wouldn't have mattered if it was you, a tiger, a bear, anyone else in that position, regardless of what they were. Possibly even another prey mammal." He shrugged. "I mean, I realize what you're saying, you're saying you treated her like shit. Okay, but were you really so awful?" He raised a brow in question. "You have _always_ been impatient, especially when time is needlessly waisted, you've _always_ been loud and boisterous, you've _always_ been excitable at times-"

"Yes, but that doesn't change how I treated her," Leodore said gruffly, cutting him off. He shook his head, raising a paw as if to pull at his mane before finally standing and starting to pace. "I _know_ better, Imani, I _am_ better than that, and for the life of me, I do not have _any_ good reason as to why I just let myself act that way. For goodness sake, Leon is probably rolling in his grave right now!"

Bogo huffed and re-crossed his legs. "True. He's probably putting that oak to good use," he commented, taking a swig as he watched Leodore's frenzied walking.

"And what's more, it doesn't matter how I cut it, it doesn't matter if you put someone else in my shoes, or rearrange the characters on the chessboard, it was ME in there, in that position, in that situation. I _directly_ contributed to how she felt, to her motives," Leodore continued, gesturing wildly as he started walking in circles just beyond the coffee table. "For all we know, I was probably the catalyst! I mean, you're right, it probably wasn't just me. This has the tell-tale signs of years of abuse and emotional trauma, and I realize it could have been anyone else, but the fact of the matter is it was me! I was the one who was at the end of the line, the straw that broke her back. And I could have been different, I could have acted differently, treated her differently. Maybe, if I hadn't become so self-absorbed, I could have done what I used to be so damned good at and, I don't know, paid attention!? Maybe I could have seen what she was going through, noticed how she was acting, seen if it was anxiety instead of incompetence, if it was fear instead of laziness, maybe if I'd just taken a MOMENT of time to just pay a-fucking-ttention to the signs she was likely giving off from day one, I could have- I could have-"

"What?" Bogo shot, cutting into Leodore's tirade. "Changed her view of the world?" he asked

Leodore stopped and turned, panting lightly as he regarded his long-time friend. "Bogo, this- I'm not naïve!" he retorted. He then huffed and hung his head, running a paw through his mane. He closed his eyes as he tapped the beer bottle on his leg. "I… like I said. This is more like years of issues she's had. I'm not saying I could have completely changed her view of the world and- or preds in general." He opened his eyes and looked to Bogo. "But… maybe I could have been the one to make her rethink flicking the switch. Maybe I could have given her a reason to think that it might not be all so damn bleak and bad… that's what we're supposed to be doing, isn't it?" he asked, feeling the desperation in his voice. "That's what I've been trying to do here, in our greatest city, for eight-nine years now. We can't just magically disappear prejudices, I realize that, and I think this has been a wake-up call for everyone on that note. But…" he shook his head slowly as his gaze fell to the floor, "… but the point is to make it possible to work past them. To acknowledge them… and better ourselves for them."

Bogo watched as Leodore meandered back to the couch, sitting heavily and sinking down like a deflating balloon.

"I've worked to try to instill an idea that we can move past our differences- not ignore them, but… work with them, work around them. You know? Like fitting together the pieces of a puzzle, because that's really what we are. We're all different shapes and sizes, but we can still fit together and make it work," Leodore said quietly, his eyes distant.

Bogo took a deep breath as he examined his friend's face. He took another swig of his beer, looking away to the mantle of the fireplace. "Yeah. I know," he said lowly. "But one thing I've come to realize in my line of work… is not everyone… sees it that way. But then again, we knew that already, didn't we?" he asked, looking to Leodore with a smirk.

Leodore let out a scoff of a laugh and finished off his bottle. "Yeah," he said, placing it on the coffee table, "we definitely knew that."

Bogo shrugged. "All we can do is try, Leo. But not everyone wants a life like we had pushed on them. Even if they'd be better off for it. Changing old views borne of ancient grudges was never going to be easy." He looked to his bottle, swirling what was left of the contents in the bottom. "And we have to remember… we're just mammals too. We've basically proven through all this that we're still fallible. We make mistakes too. We can adopt incorrect mindsets as well. We can misbehave and… well, be idiots."

Leodore rolled his eyes as he flopped himself back into the couch cushions again. "Keep it up, Bogo, I need to sink even lower," he quipped.

Bogo chuckled lightly. "The truth hurts, Leo. Always has." He finally finished off his bottle as well, setting it on his knee and looking at the glass. "But that's the first step, remember? Knowing. Once you know there's a problem, once you acknowledge it… you can work to understand it. And take steps to fix it."

Leodore stared at the ceiling, noticing it had gotten darker in the room since they'd first sat down. He hadn't thought it was so late. He took a deep breath, taking in as much air as he could before letting it out as slowly as he could manage. His mind replayed Bogo's words again and again. "Hmm."

"Hmm, what?" Bogo asked, as if he'd been waiting for Leodore to say something.

Leodore blinked before sitting back up once more, clasping his paws together as he rested his elbows on his knees. "I just realized… we needed this."

Bogo looked to Leodore with that raised brow as he flicked his ear. "Needed what?"

Leodore tightened his grip on his own paws and bit the inside of his lip. "… A wakeup call," he finally said.

Bogo looked down before his gaze slowly traveled back to the mantle. He was quiet for several more moments, the wheels in his head turning almost visibly. "I guess you're right." He cracked a sardonic smile. "The world has always been broken, though."

"Yeah, I know," Leodore conceded. "But for a while there, it seemed like we were on cloud nine."

Bogo chuckled. "Well, maybe you were," he said. "You always were a big dreamer, head in the clouds," he said, looking to Leodore warmly.

Leodore, for his part, couldn't help but smile. "Yeah well… now that I've fallen back to earth, try to keep me better grounded this go round, kay?" he said, looking to Bogo with that same warmth.

Bogo grinned, looking away as he shook his head. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe help me out too, yeah? Don't just throw things at me."

Leodore felt a grin spreading on his face as well. "No guarantees. Besides, it seems to have worked out for the better, am I right?"

Bogo scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, no need to go throwing facts at me, too."

Leodore snickered. "Hey, you said it! The truth hurts."

They shared a moment of amiable laugher before sinking into a comfortable silence. Leodore leaned back again, crossing his legs as he folded his paws over his abdomen. Bogo himself had sunk further into the loveseat, fist to his cheek as he stared off into space.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Leodore finally said.

"Oh?" Bogo asked, eyes darting back to the reclining lion. "And what will that do?"

Leodore was quiet a moment as he thought. "Honestly… I don't know. But even if I only go the one time. I need to do it. For her sake as much as mine."

"Is that so?" Bogo asked, resting his chin on his fist, giving his full attention.

"Yeah." Leodore chewed on his lip before his eyes finally darted to meet Bogo's gaze. "I need to apologize. I can't apologize for anything else she's ever gone through, and I'm not going to pretend I can. But I need to apologize for my part. She deserves at least that much from me."

"Some would argue she doesn't deserve anything from anybody," Bogo stated. "If I'm remembering correctly, her only saving grace is the fact that not a single mammal died of all this mess she created."

Leodore nodded. "Yeah. That in and of itself is a blessing. I'm kind of in awe, actually."

"Well, I'm in shock," Bogo said. "Any and all kind of predators shot and the worst we got was flesh wounds, two broken bones, and one damaged eye."

Leodore raised his eyebrows. "Is that all?"

"Well," Bogo shrugged, "not to downplay the flesh wounds. Many of them required stitches and will leave permanent scarring. Not to mention the psychological damage." He huffed. "Like you said, it's a blessing, but doesn't change the gravity of what she did."

Leodore nodded again. "Very true. And I'm not saying she didn't _choose_ to do it. She didn't have to, everyone should be aware of that." He grew quiet, his next words seeming to halt in his mouth.

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Bogo coaxed knowingly.

Leodore looked to those warm brown eyes. "But… it's the fact that she felt the need to do it at all. That's… what really hits me hard."

Bogo didn't say anything to that. He simply held his gaze steady, without blinking. He remained quiet for several moments before finally looking to the arm of the long couch closest to him. "Yeah. I suppose that is a bit of a sting isn't it."

Leodore cracked a sad smile. "Yeah. Just a bit."

Bogo pulled himself out of the cushions and leaned forward, putting his empty bottle on the coffee table before resting his elbows on his knees. "Well. I suppose it would be wrong to advise against doing what you feel is right. And, by all means, if you think you owe her an apology, go ahead with it." He looked up into Leodore's eyes meaningfully. "But I shouldn't have to tell you not to be surprised if she spits it back out into your face."

Leodore let out a humorless laugh. "I'm sure I deserve it," he commented.

Bogo heaved a sigh as the corners of his lips quirked up. "I'm sure we all deserve a little something. But… all we can do is what we can. Right?" He looked to Leodore, obviously expecting a response.

Leodore felt his smile taking on a proper appearance. He gave a nod. "Right."

Bogo nodded back and was still a moment before finally standing. He grabbed both bottles and started for the kitchen. "Now come on. Let's get the house looked over so you can get some proper sleep," he called.

Leodore suddenly wished he could just sleep right there on the couch. It was comfy enough. Though his odd position wasn't. He puffed air out of his mouth and finally moved to stand. "Okay, if you insist. What, do you think I'll have some stalker hiding away somewhere?" he asked, only half kidding.

"Pff- who knows," Bogo answered, tossing the empty beer bottles in the trash under the sink. "But I'd rather get it checked out just in case."

Leodore groaned as he stood. "I appreciate that, Imani. Warms my heart," he chided, stretching as he shot a smirk into the kitchen.

Bogo rolled his eyes. "Oh, stow it," he responded. "And get my glasses from the table," he called, heading into the hall.

"How many pairs have you lost again?" Leodore asked, picking up the frames with care as he made to follow.

"I thought I said stow it."

Leodore let out a laugh. "I've been cooped up in a ten-by-ten cell with a rhino for three months, let me have some fun!" he hollered back.

 **XxXxX**

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 **Author's note: Canonically, Lionheart does not have a middle name, and we still do not know Chief Bogo's full name. The additions of any names to canon characters are part of my headcanons only at this time. Though, to be fair, they probably wont change even if we do get canon info, simply for story continuity.**

 **Thank you for the read! Have a good day or night and a wonderful time~**


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